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My friend the salad spinner

I was eating dinner with a friend today. She asked how I prepared the micro green salad I served. I said, simply, "Just wash in the salad spinner." "What?" she said, genuinely not knowing what a salad spinner does.
This isn't a story to make fun of her, because up until a few years ago, I had no use for a salad spinner either. It seemed like a gimmicky one-use tool, precisely the kind of junk I try to avoid bringing into the kitchen.

Now that I'm consuming lots of fresh from the garden greens, I use a salad spinner almost daily. I clean mint for cocktails, kale and greens for meals, and leaves for salad.

If you don't know, a salad spinner has a colander type bowl in which you place greens, herbs, or other unwashed leafy vegetables. Veggies are rinsed with water in the colander. Then, the colander bowl is placed inside a solid bowl and a lid with spinner is set on top. A pump or pullstring spins the colander. Water spins to the sides and collects in the solid bowl. You are left with washed, dry fresh greens.

It is perfect for making salads for two. When I make a big salad for large family gatherings or potlucks I run two or three batches. I prefer the small size because it fits easily in our kitchen cabinets. We have used this with no sign of wear for over 3 years.